Playing as if to dispel the growing notion they can’t win away from home, Manchester City put in a dominant display at The Hawthorns, with early goals from Sergio Agüero and Yaya Touré paving the Citizens’ way to a comfortable 3-2 victory over West Bromwich Albion. A late own goal credited to Costel Pantilimon and a 94th minute score from Victor Anichebe made the final score superficially close, with Touré’s 74th minute penalty kick having given City a three-goal lead entering the final quarter-hour.

City, third in the Premier League, had gone 1-4-1 through their season’s first six road games, but a decisive display at West Brom will help address suspicions Manuel Pellegrini’s side becomes a far more manageable beast on the road. With the three points, the 2011-12 champions move to 28 on the year, staying within one of second place Chelsea, who were 4-3 winners at Sunderland.

West Brom, on the other hand, are now winless in four, last season’s eighth place finishers falling to 13th place after today’s loss.

Threatening from the onset, City broke through the ninth minute when Edin Dzeko put an overlapping Pablo Zabaleta behind the defense and toward the byline, the Argentine right back cutting the ball back toward the penalty spot just before it went into touch. Sergio Agüero, having pulled away from the defense, was open 10 yards out. Scoring for the 11th time this season, Agüero finished into the top of Boaz Myhill‘s goal to make it 1-0.

Dominating play throughout the half, City doubled their lead in the 24th minute, with Yaya Toure‘s ríght-footed finish from the left of goal beating Myhill after Aleksandar Kolarov‘s cross. Despite chances of Edin Dezko, Fernandinho, and a slew of opportunities for Agüero, the visitors would have to content themselves with the 2-0 lead at halftime, having held their hosts without a shot on target.

Though the Baggies showed signs of renewed life in the moments before halftime, City came out in the second half and reasserted a type of benign control, looking capable of bleeding out the final 45 minutes of the match. If there was any doubt about their ability to do so, it ended when Claudio Yacob brought down Kolarov in the West Brom area. Completing his brace, Touré fired his second into the top of Myhill’s goal, giving City a 3-0 lead.

In the 85th minute, West Brom were given their first piece of minor consolation when Kolarov’s clearance of a Matej Vydra ball through the six went off a sprawled Pantilimon and into the Manchester City goal, depriving the recently promoted Citizens’ number one of a clean sheet. It also gave the Baggies the curious distinction of having scored before registering an official shot on target.

By full-time, the Baggies had put a shot on goal – their last chance of the game. With the match out of reach, the Citizens defense apparently turned off, with Victor Anichebe taking advantage by hammering home a shot from the middle of the penalty area in the 94th minute. Though the score brought the Baggies within one, the final whistle blew moments later, City’s commanding night obscured by two late goals.

Though it was one of West Brom’s worst performances of the year, the Citizens deserve more credit than the Baggies do blame. Assertive from the opening whistle, Manchester City looked every bit the title favorites many saw before the season’s first kickoff, and while their inconsistent play has cast them six points back of league-leading Arsenal, on form the Sky Blues look like the best team in the league.

Whether that translates into a climb up the table may depend on how often they can replicate today’s road performance.